P40 short field capability

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aonyn
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P40 short field capability

Post by aonyn »

Hi All,

I flew the P-40 last night, and for whatever reason, I felt the urge and mustered up the nerve to attempt a landing that I would never have tried in the mustang.
It was a dirt field, a little shy of 2000 feet long, very narrow (not much beyond the wingspan of the P-40), and in a crosswind of about 7knots.
So I did an overhead break approach (thanks Dudley :D ), and managed to set her down 3 point right at the threshold, and stopped without touching the brakes at all, with a little room to spare.

I really don't know if my landing was a good demonstration of the limits of the P-40, though it was certainly a test of my current limits, and I was very pleased afterwards.

So I am curious, so as to challenge myself to be able to get the most out of the P-40, what is she truly capable of on a short field, and in capable hands?
What kind of distances have others managed to achieve with her?

FYI - I have not attempted yet to take off again from this field, so I will report back on how that goes... Hopefully it is not embarrassing :oops:

Thanks,
Dave
Ron Attwood wrote:David, you'd be useless on Twitter. Too reasonable by half. :D

Downtown
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by Downtown »

Most of my experiences so far have been starting mid flight and the engine dies immediately, I have to put it down NOW, so I've been getting better at what I would classify as emergency landings. I don't always put it down without collapsing the gear, but I've done it a number of times coming to a rolling stop. I try to bring it in and just above stall speed and get the nose up a little, trying to put the tail wheel down just after the main gear. I thought that I had read that this will the best way to prevent ground loops which many P-40 pilots managed on landing.

The P-40s did fly off of many satellite fields at Pearl Harbor, with the AVG and in North Africa that didn't have finished runways. I know they usually did something to pack the earth down and a landing was not to be attempted on any such field when it was wet.

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Paughco
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by Paughco »

Downtown: not to steal or misdirect this thread, but the same thing happens to me. One of my saved flights is where I have my P-40 "parked in the air" in the vicinity of KAWO. Sometimes I like to use that flight because the engine is already running and warmed up. I have about five seconds before the engine dies due to fuel starvation because the flight always starts with the fuel valve in the "OFF" position. First I set up the INPUT CONFIGURATOR so that when I hit [shift]+[F] the fuel valve is moved one way, and [Ctrl]+[F] it is moved the other way. Now, as soon as my P-40 pops into the air, I hit [shift]+[F] and the fuel selector goes to the reserve position, and the engine keeps singing its song.

Seeya
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DHenriques_
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by DHenriques_ »

aonyn wrote:Hi All,

I flew the P-40 last night, and for whatever reason, I felt the urge and mustered up the nerve to attempt a landing that I would never have tried in the mustang.
It was a dirt field, a little shy of 2000 feet long, very narrow (not much beyond the wingspan of the P-40), and in a crosswind of about 7knots.
So I did an overhead break approach (thanks Dudley :D ), and managed to set her down 3 point right at the threshold, and stopped without touching the brakes at all, with a little room to spare.

I really don't know if my landing was a good demonstration of the limits of the P-40, though it was certainly a test of my current limits, and I was very pleased afterwards.

So I am curious, so as to challenge myself to be able to get the most out of the P-40, what is she truly capable of on a short field, and in capable hands?
What kind of distances have others managed to achieve with her?

FYI - I have not attempted yet to take off again from this field, so I will report back on how that goes... Hopefully it is not embarrassing :oops:

Thanks,
Dave
The trick with short field landings in these prop fighters is airspeed control. Generally speaking unless over an obstacle the approach should be set up early. It will be a much flatter approach than normal and you will be configured full flaps early on with the prop up so the drag will be considerable. You will need a lot of power and the nose will be higher than normal. Keep in mind it's not that the airplane can't stop on the runway in a short distance but rather that the approach is where the danger lies. You will be behind the power curve so you have to be VERY careful you don't get into a sink rate situation where recovery can't be made without first lowering the nose. If so and in close to the runway you might not have the air under you to make the recovery.
Land the airplane 3 point. I always put the tail wheel down a split second before the mains to get solid ground contact. Whatever you do don't put it on the mains then force the tail down. In this situation you still have enough energy and lift available to get a real bounce. If you do get a bounce, use power GENTLY at the top of the bounce, take a good look at what runway remains then decide on another flare or taking it around.
I've put Mustangs down on short runways with no problem. The P40 should be ok in this environment if, as in the case of the Mustang, it is properly flown and handled well.
Dudley Henriques

Downtown
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by Downtown »

This

https://youtu.be/cm4iP-6m_Yo is what I understand to be the correct landing

This is what I understand to be the incorrect way to land a P-40 https://youtu.be/wQfylRaw2Mw

<------Not a Real Pilot, I just play one on the internet and READ A LOT!

Downtown
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by Downtown »

This Video just makes me happy https://youtu.be/_0-Tp_SEFwg

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aonyn
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by aonyn »

Thanks Dudley, for the additional advice.
I will continue practicing with the P-40 and considering what you mention about the P-51, I will try the same with her.
Also, cool videos Downtown, the one with the zero particularly.

Thanks,
Dave
Ron Attwood wrote:David, you'd be useless on Twitter. Too reasonable by half. :D

n421nj
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by n421nj »

Excellent info dudley.
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CodyValkyrie
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Re: P40 short field capability

Post by CodyValkyrie »

DHenriquesA2A wrote: I always put the tail wheel down a split second before the mains to get solid ground contact.
Dudley, I know you're down for a bit, but I just wanted to comment on this. I always found on three point short field landings in these warbirds this was happening to me, but they were some of my best landings. It always seemed to happen naturally on these landings, and I figured something I was doing was wrong. I had always heard people say not to do this, but I always found myself "accidentally" putting the mains down a split second after my tail wheel. Now, I don't feel so bad! Thanks for the tip!
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